Last reviewed: 2026-07-16 · Checked against the standards it cites · Editorial policy
A panel with no test report has no evidence behind any acoustic or fire figure — not proof that it performs badly, but no measurement either way. For a decorative wall in an unregulated room, that may not matter. Where a fire strategy, a specifier or a school project sets a required class, an untested panel cannot meet it.
- No report means unmeasured, not poor. A panel without one may perform perfectly well. There is simply no evidence of what it does, and no figure anyone can stand behind.
- A figure is only valid for the exact build-up and mounting measured. Absorption recorded with an air gap behind the panel does not carry over once the same panel is bonded flat to a wall.
- Acoustic and fire testing answer different questions. ISO 354 measures sound absorption; BS EN 13501-1 classifies reaction to fire. Neither one implies the other.
- Where a fire strategy sets a required class, no supplier assurance substitutes for a classification report. The evidence is the report or there is no evidence.
- We hold no test reports of any kind and publish no acoustic or fire figures for our panel. A supplier who holds genuine test data for the build-up they sell has something we do not.
What does an acoustic test report actually prove?
A sound-absorption report to ISO 354 proves something quite narrow: that one specific construction, mounted one specific way, absorbed a measured amount of sound, on a stated date, at a named laboratory. That is genuinely useful evidence — and it is all the report establishes. See how an ISO 354 test works for the method itself.
What it does not prove is that a similar-looking panel from another supplier behaves the same way, or that the figure survives a change in installation. The mounting is part of the measurement, not a detail around it. A panel measured on battens with a void behind it and the same panel bonded flat to plasterboard are, acoustically, two different things — which is why αw and NRC quoted without their mounting tell you very little.
Is a fire classification the same as an acoustic test?
No, and the two are routinely blurred in product marketing. Reaction to fire is classified under BS EN 13501-1 and describes how a lining contributes to a fire in its early stages. Sound absorption is measured under ISO 354 and describes how much sound energy a surface soaks up. Different laboratories, different methods, different questions. A panel may hold one, both or neither — see Euroclass reaction to fire explained.
One dated claim is worth recognising. The government's guidance notes that the older national classes from the BS 476 fire tests have been withdrawn, and that the European standard BS EN 13501 remains in place (Fire safety: Approved Document B, gov.uk). A panel still advertised on a BS 476 "Class 0" or "Class 1" basis is quoting a withdrawn classification — worth asking about, rather than assuming it maps onto a current Euroclass.
How do I check whether a claimed figure is real?
Ask for the report, not the number. A figure you can rely on comes with five things attached: the report reference, the issuing laboratory, the test date, the exact construction measured, and the mounting and any air gap behind it. If a supplier can produce all five, you can check the claim yourself.
Then do the part most buyers skip — compare the construction on the report against the thing in the quotation. If the report covers a 12 mm slatted panel on battens with a 50 mm void, and you are buying a 9 mm flat panel bonded directly to plasterboard, the figure does not transfer to your job. It is not that the report is dishonest; it simply describes a different build-up. The wider documentation checklist sits in how to choose an acoustic panel supplier, and absorption classes A to E explains what the summary rating is doing.
When do you actually need a test report?
You need one when somebody is going to ask for evidence. That covers a fire strategy setting a reaction-to-fire class for a lining — commonly escape routes, protected corridors and certain public or higher-risk buildings, per Approved Document B; an acoustician or specifier who has written a required αw into the specification; a school project working to BB93; and anything where building control sign-off, insurance or a warranty depends on the finish. In those cases an untested panel is not a cheaper option, it is simply not an option.
You may not need one for a decorative feature wall in an unregulated domestic room, where you want the look, you want less echo, and nobody is asking you to evidence a number. That is a real and legitimate use. If you are unsure which situation you are in, ask the person who signs the project off — the building control officer, the specifier, the fire engineer — rather than the person selling you the panel.
What we publish, and what we don't
Plainly: we hold no test reports of any kind for our flat acoustic wall panel — not acoustic, not fire, not any other. No figures for absorption or fire classification appear anywhere on this site for it, because there is nothing behind them. If independent reports are ever commissioned and issued, they will be published here in full. Produced in Türkiye by our manufacturing partner. Sales, technical support and supply are managed by us in the UK/Europe.
This is stated so you can make your own decision, and it is not offered as a virtue. Real measured data is better than no data — a supplier holding a valid report for the exact construction they sell has something genuinely useful that we do not, and on a regulated project that difference decides the matter. If your job needs a classification or a specified absorption figure, buy from someone who can evidence it. Where our panel is a reasonable choice is the unregulated decorative case, judged on construction, dimensions and finish rather than on a number. Our current document status is listed on importing & compliance, and the same statement covers fire on fire classifications for UK interiors.
Frequently asked questions
Does "no test report" mean the panel doesn't work?
No. It means the panel is unmeasured. An untested construction may absorb sound perfectly acceptably; nobody has established by how much, so no honest figure can be quoted for it. The distinction that matters is between a product that performs poorly and a product whose performance is simply unevidenced — those are not the same thing, and only the second is what "no test report" tells you.
Can a supplier give me an absorption figure without a report?
They can quote a number, but a number with nothing behind it is not evidence. Ask which report it comes from, which laboratory issued it, on what date, and for exactly which construction and mounting. If those cannot be produced, or the report describes a different build-up from the one you are buying, treat the figure as unverified.
Do I need a fire classification for a wall panel in my own home?
Usually not for a decorative panel in an ordinary unregulated domestic room. Requirements attach to specific locations and building types — escape routes, protected corridors, and certain public and higher-risk buildings — through the building's fire strategy and guidance such as Approved Document B, rather than to the product in isolation. If you are unsure, ask building control or the project's fire engineer, not the panel supplier.
Is a BS 476 "Class 0" rating still valid?
The government's Approved Document B guidance notes that the national classes from the BS 476 fire tests have been withdrawn and that BS EN 13501 remains in place. A product still marketed on a BS 476 basis is quoting a withdrawn classification, which does not translate directly into a current Euroclass. Ask what the panel holds under BS EN 13501-1 specifically.
Do you publish acoustic or fire figures for your panels?
No. We hold no test reports, so no absorption or fire-classification figures for our panel appear anywhere on this site. When independent reports are commissioned and issued, they will be published in full, including the construction and mounting they cover. Until then, the honest answer to "what is the αw?" is that it has not been measured.
Specifying acoustic panels?
Order finishes to see and hear, model the room with the reverberation calculator, or send us the spaces and targets for panel selection and a quote. We publish no performance figure we cannot evidence — what that means for your project.